Feeling really awful about myself and my son.

[Hope54321]

Hello guys,

Hope you’re all having a wonderful day. I am currently struggling with my self esteem and confidence because I am a sufferer of chronic bad breath since about 8 years old. My eldest son was born with bad breath. Doctors are so confused and just throw the usual “it’s acid reflux”. Dentists say we have lovely teeth and a clean mouth. We still stink so bad. My bad breath is at a point where I can no longer mask it with chewing gum. I floss, brush and use mouthwash before I leave the house and I still get reactions from people.

I feel guilty that I passed this horrible disease onto my son. He is only 4 yeas old, he should be enjoying his life. He also has eczema, severe allergies, asthma and autism. Poor kid has a lot going on.

I just can’t take it anymore. The doctors have no idea and I don’t have tonsil stones. I’m really struggling with the bad breath, especially because now my son is suffering. He is repeating what the kids have said to him. After school he kept repeating “you’re stinky”. It breaks my heart to watch him go through what I went through as a kid. I really worry about his future.

People avoid talking to me at his school because of this disease. I’m not sure how much longer I can go on for like this. Thank you for reading. I can’t speak about this to anyone in real life so thanks for reading.

This sounds really hard.

You've said you can't talk to people about it in real life? It might help people understand better and make it feel less embarrassing if you could find a way to open up about it.

Doesn't have to be everyone,but just trying to talk to a couple of people might help you feel better...

That sounds really hard, OP.
Do you feel that you’ve had all the medical investigations possible to find the root cause?

could it be improved by increasing your stomach acid? you can do this by drinking lemon or vinegar before meals and chewing on bitter greens before eating.

anything else that is slightly abnormal about your body and digestion, even if it seems unrelated? There’s got to be a cause and if we can figure it out maybe we can help

This sounds quite extreme for just stomach acid, and reflux is not something that would necessarily be hereditary.

I think you need more investigations. There are metabolic conditions that can cause strong bodily odours and these can be genetic. If your son's smell is so strong that other children are noticing it, it should be apparent to a doctor. I'd book an in person appointment and go from there.

Is it tonsil crypts? Maybe nasal drip?
Someone should be able to help you both.

The doctor has given me omeprazole so far, it’s made no difference in terms of my breath and has also caused diarrhea. Every time I bring up my son, they’re not intere and say children always change.

one doctor said if it’s due to genetics, there’s nothing that can be done about it.

Good advice above about seeking more conventional medical help but I would also look to improve my gut health. Time Spector has good advice. If I had funds I would visit a functional doctor and have some test done, but this works out v pricey.

Hi there, yes I was thinking maybe it is due to a mebolic condition. I don’t believe it’s due to acid reflux because my other family members have acid reflux and they smell normal.

Hi, I’m big on gut health and have followed strict diets and eat healthy high fiber diet. It makes no diffto my breath.

I have tried both lemon and vinegar. I find the vinegar makes me smell worse and a little sick feeling.

This was my thought. You gut microbiome is partly hereditary. You also have a mouth microbiome.

Perhaps investigate which bacteria (or lack of) might cause these kinds of problems and see if there is a way of controlling them

I know someone with really bad breath and was tested for helicobactor. This was positive and once treated cured the problem. Not saying this is the case for you but might be worth checking.

Have you considered trimethylaminuria?

This kills acid and likely to cause more bacteria

try Apple Cider Vinegar (could sort out GERD but also very likely to kill whatever bacteria are around)

even if it’s caused by dry mouth disease, this still leads to bacteria

finally try getting digestive enzymes (Enzymedica Gold is the best); likely you don’t digest certain food cause of how you or your son’s gut is

I tested for helicobactor, tests were all clear.

Sorry I meant I tried apple cider vinegar, it made the breath and reflux worse.

I have, but we don’t smell fishy and our body smells normal, it’s just our breath smells like poop.

Did the doctor only do a physical examination for tonsil stones, or were scans done?

No advice (except maybe try a medical herbalist and see what they can come up with) but hugs for you and your son xxx

Have you tried cutting out dairy foods to see if that makes a difference?

Yes that’s no good - perhaps go the other way and try a bit of baking soda or calcium carbonate (reduces acid, my kid has a bit every other morning )

you can give a go at the Enzymedica gold enzymes in case you have problems digesting specific food

My DS has all the allergies and had this problem when he was little. He started to take daily antihistamines and started gargling and it cleared up.

Have you asked close family or medical professionals if they can actually smell it?

Do you both drink plenty of water? Being dehydrated can make anyone’s breath smell bad. Flossing can make a huge difference too.

It could be the allergies. I would try cutting out dairy and work out if anything else is triggering it.

I know it won't be this, but do you clean your tongue? I get a very coated tongue and so does my son. I need to clean mine after meals or my breath gets bad.

My son still had bad breath when he was using antihistamine frequently. He also gargles every single day. He flosses and tongue scrapes ad well.